The Psychiatric Consultant may suggest treatment modifications, in-person consultations, or specialty mental health services for clinically challenging patients. The Psychiatric Consultant does not normally see the patient or prescribe medications; however, they are available during business hours for ad-hoc consultation as needed.
Job Description
Some skills that may be new to Psychiatric Consultants include:
- Triage/Treat patients without seeing them
- Create a treatment plan in a short amount of time and with limited information
- Think about the treatment needs of a population of patients
FTE Guidelines
Organizations will need around 0.075 FTE (3 hours per week) of Psychiatric Consultant time to assist each nearly full-time or full-time BHCM to manage a full caseload. Please refer to the AIMS Center’s Guidelines for Behavioral Health Care Manager Caseload Size for more information to plan staff resources.
Training
- View the Collaborative Care Implementation Guide for clinical skills specific to psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health care professionals who practice as part of a Collaborative Care team.
- Apply the Integrated Care Approach – Free, CME-eligible course developed by the AIMS Center and the American Psychiatric Association.
- Integrated Care Psychiatric Consultant Learning Collaborative – Monthly, CME-eligible learning sessions for psychiatric providers delivering integrated care.
More
- Concerned about liability issues? View a Resource Document on Risk Management and Liability Issues in Integrated Care Models and an Example Disclaimer for Psychiatric Consultants.
- For an in-depth look at the role of a Psychiatric Consultant, read our Psychiatric Consultant Profile.